1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a lubrication system for delivering lubricant to a transmission pocket bearing from a source of lubricant remote from the pocket bearing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known from the prior art to employ gear means to pump a lubricant into a lubricant guiding baffle where the lubricant is then directed from the baffle into a bearing that is not easily lubricated. Such an arrangement is seen in Boden U.S. Pat. No. 2,011,559 of 1935. In the automotive transmission art there is a known system of lubricating a pocket bearing by a lubricant splash collector that allows lubricant to drain into a passage that directs the lubricant into ports that feed a pocket bearing. This prior art arrangement is seen in Jones et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,279 of 1980, and in Dick U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,427 of 1980.
The problem of obtaining adequate lubricant for a pocket bearing is magnified by the location of such a bearing in a pocket that is surrounded by structure required to sustain the torque during delivery of power from the engine output shaft to the input shaft of the transmission. Such a bearing is not susceptable of receiving lubricant by splash from the rotating gears because it is shielded by structure. In addition there is the problem of getting lubricant to a forwardly located pocket bearing especially when the vehicle is moving up an incline where the lubricant shifts to the rear, away from the pocket bearing position. Some effort has been made to incorporate a dam to prevent lubricant shift in a transmission when in an inclined position of as much as 20.degree.. The dam, however, is an impositive arrangement for overcoming the absence of pocket bearing lubricant.